Shoot it and leave it.....

[tominboise]

So I am normally a shoot it and clean it guy. When I get home from the range I clean my rifles and store them away. But, last shooting session I ran 25 rounds through my Ruger American 223 and did not clean it when I got home. I ran another 25 rounds through it today and did not clean it again. I am resisting the temptation to go downstairs and clean it. If I remain steadfast, I will shoot it again without cleaning and see what happens with respect to how it groups.

 

[AK Hunter]

Some guns shoot better dirty.
My muzzleloader shoots about 12" low clean but every shot there after is dead center.
I can't explain it but that's the way it is.

 

[LoonWulf]

I tried leaving my bores dirty a few times.......but i live in hawaii and they rust, even my stainless ones lol

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Some guns shoot better dirty.
My muzzleloader shoots about 12" low clean but every shot there after is dead center.
I can't explain it but that's the way it is.

Many barrels shoot better when they've had a few "fouling" shots after a deep clean.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I don't clean until accuracy degrades.

 

[caribou]

I shoot them, I clean them.

I go to sea, as I travel or hunt, I clean them for obvious reasons..

I hunt at anytime below zero F, I bring it in and clean it to keep it from icing and rusting from 'sweat' while it warms, at the days end.

I carry a gun nearly every day, so its a routine. If I cant get the whole rifle cleaned, like if Im camping, Ill at least use a boresnake and keep the bore and chamber happy.

 

[PapaG]

I never fired a shot for score or for meat out of a clean barrel. I want the bore to be in the same condition it was when the last good shot was fired. Unfortunately it isn't possible to duplicate temperature and humidity conditions.

 

[jmr40]

Virtually all rifles shoot better after a few rounds have gone through a clean barrel. The 1st 2-3 shots from a clean barrel are very likely to have a different POI on target. After the barrel is fouled the accuracy usually remains the same for a while.

This depends on the rifle, but you will reach a point where accuracy begins to fall off. It could be as few as 50 rounds, or as many as 500 depending on the barrel. I almost never touch the barrel on any of my 22's.

I clean the exterior of my guns and will clean crud out of the action to ensure reliability, but my barrels are rarely cleaned unless the gun ends up wet from rain, snow or for some other reason. If that happens and I do have to clean the barrel I won't hunt with that rifle until I get a chance to get to the range and fire a few shots to check zero and to foul the barrel.

I usually take a day in January after hunting season and give all of my rifles a thorough cleaning. They get taken out of the stocks and everything is cleaned. I usually do the same in August before hunting season, but in between the barrels don't get touched unless accuracy starts to fall off or they get wet.

 

[someguy2800]

I am a very infrequent cleaner. With 22's sometimes you need to clean the action when they start to gum up, but otherwise I almost never clean a bore until accuracy degrades. I have a few rifles which need to be cleaned frequently to either get the cast bullet lube out or because they copper foul. I have quite a few guns that I only shoot rather infrequently that I have never cleaned and likely never will. I do keep everything well oiled though.

 

[American_Fusilier]

I used to clean religiously, but after a while I just kinda stopped. I hardly ever clean now. My precision rifle like a dirty bore...

I just don't shoot enough to get guns that dirty. Even when I shoot IDPA I don't clean them afterwords unless it was raining or something.

I'll clean my carry gun after almost every use though.

 

[7mmsavage]

I (years ago) used to be a fanatic about cleaning mine, I think it was even fun, part of the shooting experience. Now life has gotten busy, time to get to the range is limited and there’s usually lots to do when i get home. I hand load almost everything, so there’s no more worrying about corrosive ammo in the old milsurps. I don’t see rust or any other issues with any of my guns, and they clean up fine when the time comes.

Couple years ago I attended an outdoor show and Jerry Miculek was a guest speaker. He said he’d clean his after 5-10k rounds then do a thorough cleaning when they’re “really”dirty. By his standards mine will probably never be dirty again.

 

[doubleh]

Living in a rather arid place (seriously arid this year) I leave barrels that I am going to shoot again sometime soon alone. I have never had point of impact change or accuracy decrease doing this. If the guns is to be put away for sometime I will clean and oil it on the inside, wipe the out side down with alcohol, and then apply paste wax. Any time I shoot a gun that will be shot again soon I squirt some Pledge on a rag and wipe the exterior. I then use a clean cloth to put the gun away so as not to touch it with my bare hand. The frequently shot guns get paste wax once a year although Pledge seems to work just as well. I started with the wax in the late '60's, Pledge in the "90's, and have had no rust at all. 22 rimfire barrels are seldom cleaned except for one contrary one that accuracy drops off a little after 200 rounds. Back when I hunted I always fired one round before going and left the barrel alone until the hunt was over. Blackpowder guns are different and are cleaned by the end of day when shot and then the same procedure for protection is used.

 

[.38 Special]

Huh. A dozen posts and no one has yet posted about how his father was a drill sergeant in the Vietnam and would beat him with a wet towel if he didn't clean his rifle after every shot. Get with the program, people!

 

[Rodfac]

When I get home from the range I clean my rifles and store them away.

Yep...but during deer season, I run a single Hoppe's #9 patch through the bore to keep the damp out, & that's it. (Got that technique from the Marine team armorers at Camp Perry in '07.) No change in hunting zero either. After the season's over, the guns get a thorough cleaning ..Rod

 

[AK Hunter]

Many barrels shoot better when they've had a few "fouling" shots after a deep clean.

That's why after I check the scope on my muzzleloader I load it & seal the barrel with a piece of tape, to keep the moisture out. If I clean it in any way I'll have to start over, I hunt with a dirty barrel. After the season is over if I'm not successful, I fire the gun before leaving the woods (probably at a stump) then when I get home it gets cleaned thoroughly, oiled & put up until next season.

 

[hso]

what happens with respect to how it groups

Unlikely to be noticeably different.

 

[tark]

I'm just a lazy old coot. I clean every once in a while, if I'm bored... maybe. I once put 500 rounds through my M-4 ( A Bushmaster ) without cleaning it. I did keep it well lubricated.

It never missed a beat.

 

[d2wing]

Huh. A dozen posts and no one has yet posted about how his father was a drill sergeant in the Vietnam and would beat him with a wet towel if he didn't clean his rifle after every shot. Get with the program, people!

Hey now, I am a Vietnam Vet and I believe in keeping my rifles clean. I win more than I don't so I am not changing, except when I am really lazy.

 

[Snidely70431]

I spent about 6 years on active duty with the US Army, including two tours in Vietnam. I also spent about another 10 years in the Reserves. Not cleaning whatever weapon I use, whether I fire it or not, whenever I carry it, would go against all that habit. I guess I never shoot enough for high accuracy for the barrel to get fouled enough for me to notice anyway.

 

[tominboise]

I spent about 6 years on active duty with the US Army, including two tours in Vietnam. I also spent about another 10 years in the Reserves. Not cleaning whatever weapon I use, whether I fire it or not, whenever I carry it, would go against all that habit. I guess I never shoot enough for high accuracy for the barrel to get fouled enough for me to notice anyway.

Well, I couldn't take it anymore and so cleaned the 223 this afternoon. During hunting season, I check the zero on my rifles and leave them fouled for the duration. But the 223 is getting shot a fair amount these days and coyote season is upon us, so I cleaned it, but now it will need to be fouled again. Justifies another trip to the range, lol.

Most of the guns I have purchased in my life, have been used and I have had to spend some time getting the bore cleaned up.

 

[Robert]

I clean my AR once a year wether it needs it or not. My FAL is about the same, though the gas nut can get pretty fouled and I have to use pliers to get it off. My 375 H&H gets clean far more regularly as it can get finicky when it gets overly fouled.

 

[Bazoo]

I generally don't clean my guns after every firing, but I take 5 minutes and use an oily rag to remove all the soot that I can access and then relube.

I oil/clean them whenever they need it due to humidity, dirt, or sweat. Sometimes it's just a wipe down, sometimes it'll include a bore wipe, sometimes a breakdown.

 

[ms6852]

I swab the bore and barrel a couple of times after a shoot. Take only a few minutes. It is not a real cleaning but the patches pick up enough to where you could consider it clean. Normally the actions are left alone but the bore and chamber just a few runs with oil patches is enough or ballistol which lubes and cleans at the same time.

 

[Ignition Override]

A young guy worked as hotel security at the Sheraton in downtown Tallahassee, about 2016 (I retired from an airline in 2017; ATL crewbase). We stayed twice in the Sheraton, and I walked around the parking lot as he smoked and chatted.
He was Marine infantry in Iraq.

Marines supposedly clean their guns after every foot patrol, do they not?
Well....he said that despite these habits, sometimes a Marine rifle would fail while on the Next patrol.

Therefore when he was discharged and returned to Florida, he didn't want an AR, and bought his friend's Yugo "AKM".
But maybe (?) some of the Marines' issue guns were very worn out and frequent Internal cleaning wasn't going to help much? I have no idea.

 

[MacAR]

I hate to admit it, but I can't remember the last time I cleaned a gun. Probably hasn't been that long ago, but long enough I don't really remember. I just wipe them down with a silicon rag before putting them away these days. No sense in cleaning them until they either stop being accurate or stop working entirely.

Mac